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February 24, 2017

We spend a lot of our time looking for Quaker quilts that we can research and write about. Several months ago, one such quilt "fell into our laps" when one of our blog viewers left a message on a post about Quaker causes, woman's rights, and suffrage. Our post lamented that there seemed to be few suffragette quilts, partially because quilt making was considered a domestic activity rather than one that represented the growing movement for woman's rights and the vote. The note posted by Judy Kerr said in reference to the quilt we described: "I have one in my closet." This was followed by her phone number.

Lynda called her immediately and found that Judy lived in Ashland, Oregon. She is a direct descendant of the Coates family of Pennsylvania - a noted Quaker family based in and near Philadelphia whose male members were merchants, in the shipping business, and farmers. The "quilt in her closet" displays fifty-three names of family members and friends, and forty-five inscriptions, one of which is illegible.

The Esther Coates Quilt. Photograph courtesy of Judy Kerr.

The quilt measures 114 X 116 1/2 inches and is comprised of eighty-one alternating pieced and single fabric blocks that measure approximately 12 1/2 inches square. The pattern of the pieced blocks has various names cited in Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns including Grandmother's Pride, Nine Patch Checkerboard, Old Mail, The Queen's Favorite, and Checkerboard. (Brackman, 303.) The checkerboard blocks are comprised of small triangles (half squares cut on the diagonal) and 2 3/4 inch whole squares. The names and inscriptions are found on the center square of the checkerboard blocks.

Block bearing an inscription of part of a poem titled "Remember Me" by Quaker

poetess Elizabeth Margaret Chandler (1807-1834) along with the name

Margaret Coates. Photograph courtesy of Judy Kerr.

The quilt was made by family and friends for Esther Coates, daughter of Samuel and Margaret Cherrington Coates of Chester County, Pennsylvania, and active members of the Bradford Monthly Meeting. The quilt was a gift for Esther in celebration of her marriage, in 1844, to Abram G. Wileman of Stark County, Ohio.

During conversations about this quilt with Judy, Lynda expressed interest in seeing it in-person and transcribing the names and inscriptions displayed on it. It turned out that Judy had a friend who was coming to California to visit friends in a town close to where Lynda lives. Judy arranged for her friend to bring the quilt with her and Lynda was able to pick it up and bring it home for study. With Judy's permission, Lynda has had the quilt in her possession for close to three months during which she has been able to decipher all but one of the names on the quilt as well as most of the inscriptions.

This work has revealed the quilt to be an important social and historic record.

There is a great deal to be written about Esther, her family members, her friends in Chester and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and the inscriptions recorded on her quilt. This will be forthcoming in articles, future blog posts, and perhaps eventually a book. For now we simply want you to know about this historic treasure that represents a time and community activities that helped shape the history of this country.

Ann Hanna Hambleton

Ann was the mother-in-law of Philena Cooper Hambleton, the subject of Philena's Friendship Quilt: A Quaker Farewell to Ohio, and the great-aunt of Senator Marcus Hanna of Ohio.

American Quilt Study Group

Do you know about the American Quilt Study Group (AQSG)? If not, you should. The purpose of this non-profit organization is to establish, sustain, and promote the highest standards for quilt related studies, to encourage these studies, and to provide opportunities to disseminate the work of both academic and non-academic researchers. Membership in the AQSG entitles one to receive Uncoverings, an annual journal of the research papers presented at AQSG's yearly Seminar, and a quarterly publication titled Blanket Statements containing research papers, notes and queries, as well as AQSG and quilt world news. In addition, an annual directory is provided that lists the names, contact information, and interests of current AQSG members--a valuable networking resource that gives access to approximately 950 fellow quilt enthusiasts. Click on the quilt block above to visit AQSG's web site and learn how to become a member. The site also provides information about the organization's annual Seminar, its publication opportunities, its Quilt Study program, and the Technical Guides and other publications available to members and the general public. AQSG is also on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Quilt-Study-Group/149056808116.

Quaker Quilts: Snapshots from an Exhibition

This pamphlet by Mary Holton Robare contains photographic and informational snapshots of quilts that were displayed in a three-day exhibit of Quaker Quilts held at Abram's Delight Museum in Winchester, Virginia, in 2014. The exhibit featured twenty-six quilts made between ca. 1840 and 2007. Click on the image to learn more about it.

Quilts and Quaker Heritage

Mary Holton Robare's book on selected quilts from an exhibition at the Virginia Quilt Museum in 2008. Click on the book to order and search by title.

Philena's Friendship Quilt: A Quaker Farewell to Ohio

In this 4th publication of the Ohio Quilt Series published by Ohio University Press, Lynda Salter Chenoweth presents the story of Philena Cooper Hambleton and the quilt made for her in Ohio in 1853 to take with her when she migrated to Iowa. To order, click on the book and then search by title.

Neighbors and Friends: Quakers in Community

Lynda Salter Chenoweth's second book based on her research into Philena's quilt tells the stories of those whose names appear on the quilt and places their lives in context. To order, click on the book and then search by title.

When This You See Remember Me

Also of interest by Mary Holton Robare. Schoolgirl Samplers of Winchester and Frederick County, Virginia. To order, click on the book, click "Store", then "Softcover Books" and search on title.

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Copyright

(c) 2011-2017 Lynda Salter Chenoweth and Mary Holton Robare. Absolutely no reproduction or distribution permitted beyond one copy for personal study. For additional permissions regarding text please e-mail lchen@saber.net. All images are reproduced with permission of copyright holders. Any commercial or online use is strictly forbidden.

Lynda Salter Chenoweth

Mary Holton Robare

About Us

Lynda and Mary are quilt historians experienced in researching and publishing information about quilts made by members of the Religious Society of Friends. Their particular interest is in 19th century inscribed quilts that document Quaker families and their communities.
Lynda lives in Sonoma,California, and is a writer, a quilter, a researcher, and a member of the Board of the American Quilt Study Group. Mary lives in Winchester, Virginia, and is a writer, a researcher, and a choreographer and dance instructor.